Plier lock



Dec. s, 1925- 1.564.334 A. L. EWING v 'PLIER LOCK Filed Feb- 20. 1924 ooooo o;oo ooo INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES ALBERT L. EWING, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

- PLIER LOCK.

Application filedFebruary 20, 1924. Serial No. 694,128.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I ALBERT L. EWING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the eounty of King and State of ashington, have invented a new and useful Plier Lock; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention is a means for readily locking the jaws of a pair of pliers in different positions through the handles.

The object of the invention is to provide a means for readily locking the jaws of a pair of pliers in diflerent positions.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a means for locking the jaws of a pair of pliers which may readily be applied and released.

And a further object of the invention is to provide a very simple and efficient means for locking the jaws of a pair of pliers.

\Vith these ends in view the invention embodies the placing of a strap at the ends of the handles which is pivotally attached to one of the handles and arranged so that it may be removably attached to the end of the other handle.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be seen from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view of a pair of pliers showing the device in place.

Figure 2 is an end view.

Figure 3 is a side view of the handle showing an alternative arrangement of the holding device.

Figure 4 is another View showing another alternative arrangement.

Figure 5 is a view showing an alternative means for attaching the strap to the end of one of the handles.

In the drawings I have shown my device as it would be constructed wherein numeral 1 indicates a pair of pliers which may be of any suitable design and numeral 2 a strap or flexible bar that may be pivotally attached to the end of one of the handles.

In the design shown in Figures 1 and 2 the strap 2 is pivotally attached to an eye 3 as shown in Figure 1 and provided with holes 4 as shown in Figure 2 which may be placed over a circular projection 5 at the tip of one of the handles. It will be seen that the handles may be squeezed together with a nut or other object between the jaws as shown in Figure 1 and when the jaws are gripping the object one of the holes at may be placed over the projection 5 so that when the handles are released they will be held in. the locking position.

In the design shown in Figure 3 the end of one of the handles is bent around to form an'eye 6 so that the strap 2 may be pivotally attached to it by a pin 7. In this design the handle may also be provided with shoulders 8 and 9 so that the strap 2, which may be of spring steel, will bear against them to resiliently hold the strap in different positions. In the position shown in Figure 3 the strap is shown as it may normally be used so that it will bear against the inner surface of the opposite handle and tend to open the pliers. In this position the shoulder 8 will hold the strap upward so that its free end will bear against the inner surface of the opposite handle. IV hen the strap is in the position shown in dotted lines it will be resiliently held against the end of the handle by bearing against the shoulder 9 so that when the handle is forced inward until it grips an object the strap will snap over the projection 5 at the end and lock the handles in the gripping position. It will be seen that either the strap shown and described in Figures 1 and 2 may be used in this design or either of the straps of the alternative designs hereinafter described may be used.

In the design shown in Figure at the strap is provided with ratchet teeth and the tip of the handle may be provided with a broad flat surface as shown at the point 10 so that it will engage these teeth. In this design the strap 2 is hinged to the end of one of the handles as shown at the point 11. In Figure 5 I have shown an alternative means for holding a hinge 12, to which the strap 2 may be attached, to the end of one of the handles. In this design the hinge member 12 is rigidly held in a slot 13 in the end of the handle. It is also understood that this hinge member may be of any suitable design and may be held to the handle in any suitable manner.

It will be understood that other changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention. One of which changes may be in the design or arrangement of the strap; another may be in the use of a different means for attaching it to the end of one of the handles; and still another may be in the use of aditterent means for holding it to the end of the opposite handle.

The construction will be readily understood from the foregoing description. To use the device it may be attached to the end of one of the handles of a pair of pliers or the like and when an object is gripped between the jaws the strap 2 may be placed over the projection at the end of the opposite handle as hereinbetore described. It will be seen that the tension in the handles will force the outer ends outward so that the strap will remain in place and as the length of the handle is considerably more than that of the jaws the object will be held betweenthe jaws with a vise-like grip.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a pair of pliers or the like, a strap having means therein whereby it may be caught and held over a projection, a means for pivotally holding the strap to one of t e handles of the pliers, ashoulder adjacent the pivot point, which will holdthe strap in such a position that it will engage the inner surface of the other one of the plier handles to resiliently hold it outward, and a projection on the end of the said latter handle to engage the strap;

ALBERT L. EWVING. 

